11 October 2024 | 08:32 AM

Ramaphosa: From Bermuda to Mauritius

Key Takeaways

Last year, it emerged that, while Cyril Ramaphosa was a member of Lonmin’s board, the ­company moved millions of rands in ­platinum revenues from South Africa to tax-free Bermuda.

The news broke weeks after Ramaphosa, South Africa’s deputy president, had argued before Parliament that the use of tax havens to make profits ­“disappear” was a global problem, even if it was often done legally.

He said the South African government was grappling to stem these offshore flows.

Ramaphosa was also MTN’s nonexecutive chairperson from 2001 to 2013, when the company moved billions of rands from Africa to a company with no staff in Mauritius. He led the board that, according to MTN company documents, “considers, debates and adopts” MTN’s “strategic direction”.

The company’s official ­filings and annual reports make it clear that repatriating earnings as ­management fees and other ­offshore remittances has been a “central pillar” of MTN’s strategy.

But Ramaphosa washed his hands of the matter when asked to comment.

His spokesperson, Ronnie Mamoepa, referred all questions to MTN, saying: “The government’s position on the broader question of tax evasion has been clearly articulated by the deputy president and other government leaders in Parliament and on other public platforms.”

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The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism (amaBhungane) produced this story. All views are ours. See www.amabhungane.co.za for our stories, activities and funding sources.

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Before joining the amaBhungane team in 2017, Micah was the national coordinator for media freedom and diversity at the Right2Know Campaign. He holds a Masters in African Studies from Oxford University and a BA Honours in History from Wits University.

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